Written by Jorge Barreda, Senior Research Engineer – LNF Operations and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Culture Committee member

When I was young, I was deeply inspired by Carl Sagan and was fascinated with all the knowledge that he presented. Now, as a grown man—and as a research engineer—I try to be extremely analytical with things that others say. No doubt that my formation in science changed my mentality in many ways.

I didn’t grow up in the USA; in fact, I never thought that I would leave my family and friends to pursue a career in science. I confess that this has been a beautiful journey with some hard lessons to learn. Aside from the rigorous formation in physics that my PhD gave me, one thing that rapidly became clear is that not all human cultures are the same. However, I also learned that we have much more common things that you can imagine. 

I have had the opportunity of meeting different people from different places around the world. Due to these opportunities, I realized that sharing love, having compassion for others, and wanting to be happy are just a few of the many things every human population has. I never thought I could be friends with someone so different than me and at the same time so similar. Our similitudes tell us something profound, and our differences are bridges that allow us to explore where we come from. 

We humans are a family. This idea is not just my words; science classifies all modern human beings as a single species. The exploration of our DNA is hard evidence that shows our collective history. Even more, the atoms that form all our bodies were made literally in stars… we all are stars dust. Regardless of the color of your skin, what sexual orientation you identify with, what disabilities you possess, all humans are a big family and we should look after our family.

All DEIC members were invited to share their thoughts with the community through a DEI Updates blog submission

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